Manchester City travel to FC Copenhagen in the Champions League last 16 tonight and will have to nullify their Swedish wonderkid – but who is Roony Bardghji?
Pep Guardiola’s City side won the competition last season as they completed a historic treble with a 1-0 win over Inter Milan in Istanbul.
They have breezed through to the knockouts once again this campaign, winning all six group games.
But if they are to retain their crown, they will have to overcome an FC Copenhagen side that’s already dispatched one Manchester club in the Champions League this season.
The Danish side beat Manchester United 4-3 in Copenhagen in a thriller that had just about everything.
And the winning goal on that day was scored by none other than 18-year-old sensation, Roony Bardghji.
Who Is Roony Bardghji?
Roony Bardghji was born in Kuwait in 2005 to Syrian parents. Aged six, he moved to Sweden with his mother and brother.
His football career as a youngster took him to numerous clubs, including Malmo, Kallinge SK and Rodeby AIF, before joining Copenhagen in 2020.
By the time he was 15, many people in Scandinavia were aware of his talents. Now a first-team regular and Champions League goalscorer, his stock is rising exponentially.
Although yet to be capped by the Swedish national team, he’s already played for them at youth level. It seems only a matter of time before he earns a full international call-up.
Roony Bardghji Career Stats
Playing predominantly as a right winger, Roony Bardghji first broke into the senior team at Copenhagen in 2021/22.
He scored seven goals in 21 games for the under-19 team, also bagging four assists. And for the first team, he’s scored 15 goals in 71 appearances.
His first senior goal for the club came in 2021, becoming the club’s youngest ever goalscorer at just 16. A week after his debut, he netted in a 3-1 win league over Aalborg BK, and also scored against Randers FC later that season.
But it’s his form so far this season that has big clubs across Europe taking note. The teenager has 11 goals in 2023/24, making him one of the top-scoring youngsters in Europe at the moment.
It’s therefore no surprise to see him linked with a number of Premier League teams.
Roony Bardghji Premier League Links
Gifted with superb dribbling ability and a natural footballing intelligence, Bardghji is being monitored by numerous big clubs across Europe.
But of all his potential destinations, Tottenham seem to haver the strongest links at the moment.
Spurs already have two Swedish players in Lucas Bergvall and Dejan Kulusevski, so the transition to English football would certainly be made easier.
And when asked about a possible move, Bardghji seemed very open to the idea at some point.
🚨Swedish wonderkid Roony Bardghji on whether there could be a Swedish trio of Bardghji, Lucas Bergvall and Dejan Kulusevski at Tottenham Hotspur in the future:
🗣️“It’s fun to think about. You never know, it could happen. Hard to say now.”
🗣️“I am happy for [Bergvall]. He’s… pic.twitter.com/RHJxv92IAx
— Last Word On Spurs (@LastWordOnSpurs) February 7, 2024
Wherever he ends up in future, there’s already a huge amount of hype around this young man.
His talents seem to be growing exponentially, and there are few better shop windows in world football than a Champions League knockout match against the reigning European Champions.
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